What a dreadful noise! I wonder if there's a good reason so much cold-war detritus is so ominous, so foreboding, and so nerve-wracking in its design, character

What a dreadful noise! I wonder if there's a good reason so much cold-war detritus is so ominous, so foreboding, and so nerve-wracking in its design, character and presence. Maybe there are practical reasons in this case; maybe the sound is memorable, or recognizable even with marginal reception, etc.